Digital Me and MSFT:
Thursday March 4 2:44 PM ET
Microsoft Rolls Out E-Commerce Services, Software
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news), aiming to shed its also-ran status in the burgeoning
electronic commerce field, rolled out plans for new software and services Thursday to help companies do business over the
Internet.
At a high-profile briefing for reporters and analysts, Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill Gates said the new
initiative would be based on a framework dubbed BizTalk, a planned set of standards and technology to allow consumers and
businesses to talk to each other online.
The computer industry giant also said it has acquired CompareNet Inc., an Internet comparison shopping service, to expand
commerce opportunities through its MSN portal site.
''The Internet has forever changed the way that business is conducted,'' Gates said in prepared remarks. ''With these tools, our
hope is that the e-commerce opportunity is opened up for everyone.''
Taking aim at the small business community in particular, Gates said Microsoft aimed to get more than one million new businesses
up and running on the Internet.
While Microsoft's high-end Windows NT operating system has been making inroads in corporate America, the Redmond,
Wash.-based giant is seen as a laggard in providing technology needed for businesses to handle Internet transactions.
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - news) has established a reputation as an ''e-business'' leader, while
Netscape Communications Corp. (Nasdaq:NSCP - news), Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq:ORCL - news) and others have carved out big
pieces of the emerging market.
And Microsoft's msn.com portal site is in danger of being outflanked as a commerce destination by rivals including Yahoo! Inc.
and America Online Inc. (NYSE:AOL - news) .
In an effort to demonstrate momentum for its own platform, Microsoft released a list of more than 100 companies developing or
selling electronic commerce products and services based on its NT platform. And it announced an alliance with MasterCard
International Inc. and Clarus Corp. to market Internet-based corporate purchasing solutions.
The BizTalk framework will include BizTalk Server, described somewhat sketchily as ''new technology'' that will allow companies
to ''exchange data and integrate applications over the Internet.''
BizTalk Server and Microsoft Commerce Server, an update to current back-end software based on the company's forthcoming
Windows 2000 operating system, both will be available for testing in the second half of the year, the company said.
Microsoft also will make available a package of services for small businesses, building on last year's acquisition of the Link
Exchange network and allowing companies easily to establish a commercial presence on the Internet.
Leveraging another recent acquisition, Microsoft said it would offer to consumers a ''Passport'' service, allowing them to register
once to make purchases on participating Internet sites. |
